


the moon has never glowed this color

by 8moons2stars



Category: Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, F/F, Fluff, vampirene, wolf!wendy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2020-11-01 13:48:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20816168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/8moons2stars/pseuds/8moons2stars
Summary: A werewolf and a vampire as roommates?Gross.Sickening.Cute?Maybe.[UPDATE]: bonus epilogue uploaded!





	1. irene

**Author's Note:**

> This is all kinda pointless fun but at least I got to writing again after months TT
> 
> I watched the final Underworld movie last week and forgot how much I loved that series and then the idea of wanwolf and vampirene hit me on the head. Actually, it was just imagining Irene feeling cold and begging Wendy to warm her up with her wolf heat or whatever (cinematic gold, I tell you. thanks, Stephanie Meyer). Such a scene will come up in the end, I promise.
> 
> Title is from Maybe the Night by Ben&Ben.

Joohyun drags her heavy suitcase along the dimly-lit hallway, scanning the numbers on the doors as she passes by. _503…505, and finally, 507._  
  


She pulls out the key given to her by the landlady and unlocks the door to her new flat. Instantly, the smell hits her, and she wrinkles her nose in mild distaste. The room smells of one-hundred percent, unadulterated _wolf._  
  


The lights are on, the room empty, but Joohyun notes the sliver of light filtering through beneath the closed bathroom door as well as the sound of water running, and figures her new roommate must be taking a shower. _Not that it would get rid of the smell in any way._  
  


Methodically, she starts unpacking her clothes and the sparse number of personal items she’s brought with her. She’s adjusting her newly-placed bedsheets when she hears the bathroom door unlock.  
  


“Oh. Hi,” she hears from behind her.  
  


She turns around and finds a towel-clad – and _only _towel-clad – girl with still-dripping short, dark hair staring at her in surprise and embarrassment.  
  


“I almost ripped your throat out, but I realized you must be my new roommate? Right? Or do I have to go back to my first instinct?”  
  


Joohyun blinks at the thought of the girl running at full speed towards her, claws outstretched, towel slipping –  
  


“No. I mean, yes. I’m your new roommate. Joohyun,” she says in a rush, as if trying to somehow chase her weird thoughts away.  
  


“Ah. Good. I’m Seungwan.” Seungwan smiles at her, teeth glinting and eyes crinkling at the corners, and Joohyun feels her hackles rise despite the smile being anything _but_ predatory. “Are you a va- wait, would that be weird for me to ask?”  
  


“It’s fine. I am. And I can smell what you are a long way off.”  
  


Seungwan scratches the back of her head sheepishly. “Sorry about that. We’re a weird combo, but I won’t get in your way or anything, I swear.”  
  


“As long as you don’t leave any stray fur on my bed, we’ll be fine,” Joohyun replies. She tries to come off as jesting, but her words make Seungwan’s smile dim at the edges.  
  


Seungwan nods. “Understood.” She then turns away from her and picks up the folded clothes on her bed. “I should…go change.” She walks back into the bathroom and shuts the door behind her.  
  


Joohyun sighs and tries to shake the guilt off as she sits on her bed. It’s better if they don’t get too close, anyway. Such a friendship will never work out_._

***

Despite the icy skepticism that just about flows through Joohyun’s veins, she doesn’t mind having Seungwan as her roommate. If she has half a mind to be honest with herself about such things, she may even admit that she _likes _it.  
  


Just as Seungwan had promised when they first met, she’s never bothered Joohyun if she could help it, though the difference in their school hours may have a hand in this too – Seungwan going to day college and Joohyun to night college – so Joohyun will be asleep and have the room to herself while Seungwan is out attending classes, and vice versa.  
  


When they do end up being in the same room together, Seungwan usually has her headphones on, bopping her head to some song or humming quietly along with it. The humming would usually get to Joohyun, but she’s found Seungwan’s voice to be quite nice and soothing, and she has to stop herself from feeding her curiosity and asking her what she’s singing along to.  
  


Seungwan always makes sure to keep the blackout curtains closed when Joohyun is around, and she never blinks an eye to the pile of blood bags at the back of their fridge whenever she takes out a can of Coke for her late-night study sessions. She’s even taken to spraying some sort of flowery scent all over the room that does a decent job of hiding the stench of wolf.  
  


And to top it all off, Joohyun has not encountered a single strand of fur on her bed – not even in the small entirety of her side of the room.

***

Seungwan never bothers Joohyun for more-than-trivial things until a month and a half later, when Joohyun comes back from a party in the middle of the night and Seungwan is blearily awake, flopped on her side with scattered highlighters bracketing the upper half of her body.  
  


Joohyun barely gets to slip out a greeting when Seungwan gives her a one-over and quips, “_’Irene?’_ Is that like some sort of vampiric alias you give yourself while on the hunt?”  
  


It takes the few seconds where Joohyun blinks at her roommate and looks down at the sticker nametag she had forgotten to remove for Seungwan to snap upright in self-afflicted shock, sending a few highlighters skittering across the floor in every which way.  
  


“Shit! I’m sorry! I- I- I’m barely awake – I mean I _was _barely awake and just said whatever-”  
  


“It _is _a vampiric alias. We don’t hunt humans in the dead of night anymore though, so we just use it for our blood-enhancing rituals.”  
  


Seungwan’s eyes bug out and an almost-imperceptible squeak leaves her lips, and Joohyun tries her hardest not to crack a smile. Or burst into laughter.  
  


It takes Seungwan an awfully long while to realize Joohyun was pulling her leg, and as soon as her eyes stop looking so shell-shocked, Joohyun snorts, then lets out the heartiest laugh she’s had in a while.  
  


“Fuck, I really thought you were doing blood rituals. I mean, sure, whatever gets your blood flowing, yeah? But still.”  
  


Joohyun takes off her heels and begins the mundane task of getting ready for bed. “We’ve become more civilized as the centuries wore on, I guess. I mean, I bet they had those way back when, knowing how ridiculous some conservatives are.”  
  


Seungwan nods along, lack of sleep and schoolwork seemingly forgotten as her eyes track Joohyun as she moves around the room. Not used to her roommate paying so much attention to her, Joohyun loses sense of herself and gravity for a second, tripping on the bedpost as she turns a corner. Her vampire reflexes act out, but so do Seungwan’s werewolf ones. In a flash, Seungwan is beneath her, catching her arms and pushing her back to her feet, steadying her. “You okay?” Seungwan asks her, eyebrows furrowed in concern.  
  


If Joohyun could flush from embarrassment, she would’ve. The warmth of Seungwan’s fingers circling her wrists almost seems like they can travel up her neck and heat her cheeks. And more than that, Joohyun can finally _smell _her again, in such close proximity. It’s as wolfy as it has ever been, but Joohyun’s insides don’t recoil like she expected. So she panics.  
  


She jerks away from Seungwan like she’s been burned, and she lets the guilt seep in when Seungwan’s face crumples in hurt. Seungwan backs away quickly, putting distance between them, distance Joohyun should crave but comes to dislike instead.  
  


Coming so close to something changing between their rather indifferent dynamic, though, Joohyun attempts to explain herself in the least ridiculous way. “Sorry, I- you were so hot. Warm! I meant warm.” Okay, that may _not _have been the least ridiculous way to go about it. But Seungwan stops looking like a kicked wolf and nods in understanding, and Joohyun feels relief flood through her.  
  


The tension recedes from the room, and Seungwan starts picking up her highlighters as Joohyun resumes getting ready for bed, rifling through her pyjamas.  
  


“Unnie?”  
  


“Hmm?”  
  


“Why ‘Irene,’ though, if you don’t mind me asking?”  
  


With everything that has just transpired, Joohyun almost forgets about how it all began. “It’s just a name I like to use. Handy for international vampire conventions too.”  
  


“Oh.” Joohyun turns to find Seungwan smiling. “It’s a beautiful name. Kinda fits you, somehow.”  
  


Their eyes meet, and before Joohyun can muster the courage to ask her what she _means_ by that, Seungwan turns away to pick up her books and remaining highlighters from the bed.  
  


“I should probably turn in for the night too,” Seungwan says, adding under her breath something Joohyun wouldn’t have picked up if not for her supernatural hearing, “-before I say anything else that I’ll smack myself for in the morning.”  
  


Joohyun bites back a smile, but she doesn’t resist it when it blooms fully after she shuts herself in the bathroom to change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what is up with me and writing wenrene roommate AUs
> 
> and i can't wait for seungwan's fur to stray to joohyun's bed
> 
> i mean
> 
> what


	2. chihuahua

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don’t expect anything in-depth here lore-wise. There’s no blood feud or anything between the two races. They’re just two immortal college students fumbling around. I’m just here to serve you some fluff ;_; hope you understand.

That one night of friendly banter and surprising chemistry becomes a catalyst for Joohyun and Seungwan to gradually shift from mere acquaintances to friends. They begin to chat casually when they’re both awake and in the same room, sharing harmless gossip about their circles and trading random information about each other like a verbal slam-book. Joohyun even asks Seungwan about the songs she’s been listening to, and she ends up with a new playlist filled with ballads and R&B on her phone; Seungwan has surprisingly good music taste.  
  


Studying and cramming homework aren't the only reasons why Seungwan stays up late anymore; sometimes she stays up to spend time with Joohyun and watch movies with her. Joohyun wishes to do the same, but the sun is a bitch, and blackout curtains are not able to dull its weakening effect on her body. She begrudgingly admits that werewolves are superior in that aspect. If only the sun were made of silver…  
  


Tonight, they finally get to spend a few hours together after two weeks of practically-death-inducing final examinations. They’re lying on their tummies on Joohyun’s bed – because Joohyun insists that Seungwan’s _puppy smell _is far too distracting if they were to use the latter’s bed – with Seungwan munching on chips and Joohyun drinking from a strawberry blood juice box.  
  


And after two weeks of academic torture, Son Seungwan has the absolute _gall _to play the Twilight Series on her laptop.  
  


Fine, it’s not her fault. They’ve been going through all the vampire/werewolf movies Hollywood dares to produce and this is the last of their kind.  
  


But still.  
  


“This is ridiculous.”  
  


“You’ve said that for the seventh time,” remarks Seungwan offhandedly.  
  


“Do I look like I _glitter _to you?”  
  


"It's _sparkle, _unnie," Seungwan corrects playfully, turning to Joohyun and tilting her head to the side in contemplation. “Maybe if you stepped out into the sun...”  
  


“Ha-ha.” Joohyun bares her teeth and Seungwan smirks.  
  


“You’ll enjoy it more if you don’t take it too seriously.”  
  


“I wish they’d make more of those Underworld movies,” Joohyun mutters.  
  


“You want us to be _lovers_ instead of enemies?” teases Seungwan, eyebrows wiggling suggestively.  
  


Joohyun jabs her in the ribs and turns back to the film, glad she will never be caught blushing.

***

They painstakingly get through New Moon with only a few snide murmurs from Joohyun (resulting in amused chuckles from Seungwan) before they agree on calling it a night. Seungwan shuts her laptop and begins to quickly swipe at Joohyun’s bed for crumbs, as she always does. Joohyun doesn’t pay her any mind, not until she notices how Seungwan isn’t only brushing off crumbs, but – _picking up strands of hair?_  
  


“…What are you doing?”  
  


Seungwan stands ramrod-straight, face guilty. “Uh.”  
  


Joohyun simply stares, waiting.  
  


Seungwan sighs. “I just…the fur. Or hair. I figured you meant both.”  
  


Joohyun scrunches her eyebrows, perplexed, until it comes to her as clear as night. “No- I- I was _joking_ when I said that.”  
  


This seems to be news to Seungwan, and Joohyun feels like an ass. “Oh.”  
  


“Sorry,” Joohyun says sincerely, “did I scare you?”  
  


Seungwan’s eyes go comically round. “Well, yeah! I mean…not so much anymore, but before I thought you’d drain me in my sleep if I shed in your territory.”  
  


Joohyun wrinkles her nose. “Psh. Your blood isn’t appealing to me at all, wolfie.”  
  


Seungwan looks relieved to hear it. “Thank god, buuuut you can still rip my throat out, you know? And I haven’t even graduated college _once _yet.”  
  


Joohyun rolls her eyes. “Don’t worry. I won’t bite you in your sleep as long as you don’t make me watch the last two Twilight movies.”

  
"There are actually three more of them."

  
"...Fantastic."

***

Walking back home from campus after attending several sets of lectures, Joohyun mentally runs through her list of homework, deciding whether any of them are in dire need of attention tonight. She halts in her tracks when she hears a distant chorus of howls, gaze flying to the huge, full moon lighting her way and overpowering the streetlamps.  
  


_Seungwan._   
  


So _that’s _why she was making a ruckus this morning, organizing and cleaning like she needed those activities to breathe. She’s used to Seungwan’s cycle oddities, but only truly connects the dots when she comes face-to-face with a full moon and an empty bed beside her. Seungwan said that she and her pack take to one of the forests miles away from the city proper, far from civilization and possible curious eyes.  
  


In minutes, Joohyun arrives home and finds Seungwan’s bed empty, but her smell sticks to the room, much more potent than usual. And it _will _get stronger once she comes back in the break of dawn. Joohyun’s never been able to stay up long enough to see her return, always drifting off no matter how hard she tries (Seungwan teases her for it, insisting she must be a millennium old).  
  


Still, Joohyun keeps at it. Because she’s come to care for her roommate, her _friend._ She knows there are wolves out there that stray from their humanity and let their animal instincts take over when they turn, endangering others in the process.  
  


She lies on her bed after doing some homework, listening to one of the many playlists Seungwan had made for her as she tries to stay awake, but alas, Joohyun dozes off just as the clock strikes five.  
  


She wakes hours later when it’s already dark out, turning her head to find Seungwan’s bed still empty.  
  


However, a small smile graces her lips, because Seungwan’s smell lingers in the room, far stronger than it had been last night.  
  


It’s oddly comforting, but she’ll never admit it.  
  


At least not yet.

***

“How big are you?”  
  


Seungwan stops dead in her tracks, their joined hands forcing Joohyun backward against her. “…Excuse me?”  
  


Joohyun rolls her eyes, as if _Seungwan _was the strange one. “In wolf form,” she elaborates. “Are you like a golden retriever or – bahaha – a _chihuahua_?”  
  


Seungwan looks affronted. “Shut up! I’m big! Bigger than my human form!”  
  


“Yeah, that’s not a lot to go by.” Joohyun snickers, pulling Seungwan along so they can resume walking around the movie theater.  
  


Seungwan’s eye twitches and it just feeds Joohyun’s amusement further. “You can see when I turn again. Or I can shift now. I’ll break a few laws but it will be worth it.”  
  


“Let’s not get you jailed, yeah? Maybe you can just take a selfie.” Joohyun snorts indelicately.  
  


“You’re so annoying! Just for that I’m going to shed on your bed!”  
  


Joohyun gapes at the girl beside her. “Don’t you dare,” she hisses, even as her eyes give away her mirth.  
  


“Seungwan?”  
  


The two of them pause again, turning to the owner of the voice. A girl walks up to them, a bit taller than average, strikingly pretty, and _definitely _a wolf.  
  


“Hi, Sooyoung,” Seungwan greets with comfortable familiarity.  
  


Sooyoung flits her eyes back and forth between the two of them, far-too assessing than Joohyun would prefer.  
  


“Sooyoung, this is my roommate, Joohyun. Joohyun, this is Sooyoung, one of my very annoying best friends,” says Seungwan casually, even as as her spine straightens almost imperceptibly, like she’s nervous. Or preparing for an ambush.  
  


And maybe for good reason, if the sparkle of mischief in Sooyoung’s eyes is of any indication. “Ahhh…” she draws out. “Seungwannie wasn’t lying.”  
  


“Yah,” Seungwan warns.  
  


Still, Joohyun bites, more than a little curious about how Seungwan’s been describing her to her friends. “About what?”  
  


Joohyun jerks back in surprise when Seungwan suddenly tries to wrestle Sooyoung to the ground, even though she’s holding a huge tub of popcorn in one hand and has Joohyun’s hand in the other. Neither of which she lets go of. And even if she did, something tells Joohyun that she’s never really won the upper hand against her friend, no matter the seniority.  
  


Sooyoung barely has to bat her hands away, focusing her gaze on Joohyun as she answers her question. “Seungwannie didn’t lie about how pretty you are.” Her smile is playful, predatory yet warm, somehow making it work.  
  


Their stare-down (_is_ it a stare-down?) is broken by an annoyed shove from Seungwan – who’s finally decided Joohyun’s hand is worth releasing for this – pushing Sooyoung a few steps back. “I’m going to kill you in the next full moon, Park Sooyoung.”  
  


Sooyoung merely laughs, patting Seungwan on the head like she’s done it a thousand times. “That’s what you get for calling me ‘annoying,’ unnie. Nice to meet you, Joohyun.” And then she’s gone, as if she was never there, but Seungwan’s ears are an adorable shade of red, and she’s not looking Joohyun in the eye.  
  


“Pretty, huh?” remarks Joohyun, despite her head feeling like it’s floating up the stars and her heart thudding some sort of phantom rhythm.  
  


Steam just about spills from Seungwan’s ears, and she almost stutters her way into a coma.  
  


Taking pity on her, Joohyun holds her hand again, taking the time to slowly intertwine their fingers together and squeezing. It’s enough of a statement as it is, but Joohyun thinks Seungwan deserves a little more than that.  
  


“Thank you,” she murmurs. Clears her throat. “For the record, I told my friends you’re pretty too. …And cute.”  
  


Seungwan gapes.  
  


“For a chihuahua.” Laughing, Joohyun drags the whiplashed Seungwan to the corresponding cinema. “Come on, we’re going to be late and I really like watching the trailers.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize to Twilight. A little.
> 
> Me writing this chapter: why do I keep vomiting shitty dialogue can they just get together already I only said two chapters!!! But fine they’re cute let’s just make them banter…
> 
> So yeah another one’s gonna come out and I swear it’ll be the last (not considering a possible epilogue?)
> 
> Thank you for all your kudos and stuffs! I swear I didn’t expect that people would be interested in this as much. :’)


	3. the moon is beautiful, isn't it?

_Love._   
  


What does Joohyun know about love? Almost slim-to-none, she would say.  
  


If you asked her about _infatuation_, about _crushes _and a bit of longing and spacing out imagining an unrealistic future about someone she barely knows, then you can get something out of her. She’d been infatuated with one of the baristas in a café she frequented back when she was a human and still had the ability to swallow down the vile taste of coffee. She’d also had a crush on one of her popular schoolmates who had nice hair and a smile that seemed to light up the entire room.  
  


But _love?_  
  


What is that, even?  
  


It’s preposterously abstract to Joohyun. If she were human, she’d be more willing to value love, to treat it as something to fantasize about, to lose sleep over. But to vow yourself over to someone for _eternity? _To pledge that your feelings will never change in the next few hundred years is disconcerting and irrational.  
  


At least that’s what she used to say.  
  


Now such words don’t fall past her lips, lest they make her a hypocrite.  
  


She remains silent throughout her friends’ discourse, suddenly fascinated with the swirl and color of her drink.  
  


When her friends mention the word _‘love,’_ over and over again, she sees a pair of brown eyes that crinkle at the corners in the most endearing way, sees full lips giving way to a loud, hearty laugh that rivals her own, feels the phantom touch of fingers against hers reminding her of the sun, evoking the warmth it had brought her all those years ago without the pain it came with now.  
  


Quietly, Joohyun sighs in defeat – no, in surrender.  
  


Maybe she knows more about love than she lets herself believe.

***

Joohyun shuts the door to their flat in a huff, head pounding and fangs fully extending, her irritation growing when she finds herself alone with no roommate to cheer her up with teasing jokes and sunny smiles (oh who was she kidding, Seungwan just had to _be _there and she’ll be a little happier).  
  


She drops her bag on the floor, making a beeline for the fridge and taking out the first blood bag she sees, licking her lips before plunging her fangs into the plastic. The liquid is far too cold for her liking, but her eyes shut in bliss as the blood flows through her, quenching her thirst almost immediately.  
  


As her mind clears, she’s hit with a surge of regret; she should’ve known better than to leave the flat for school without drinking first, but she thought that she had some extra blood juice boxes with her in her schoolbag. Only halfway through the night did she realize that she’d drunk the last of it a few days ago, and it had all gone downhill from there.  
  


Her back hits the door of the fridge as she slides to the floor, feeling worse than she had felt moments ago, and she only has a fleeting thought of _something’s not right _before everything goes black.

***

Joohyun opens her eyes to a bright streak of white, and for a split-second she thinks she’s in heaven. Or hell. But then her skull feels like it’s about to crack in half, and she surmises that she’s not dead. Yet.  
  


“Gruughr,” she moans incoherently, tasting metal and feeling weightless, instinctively inching closer to the crook of warmth beside her, cuddling herself against it in a sigh.  
  


“Unnie.” The voice comes from above her, most likely from the beacon of warmth she’d all but thrown herself against (which she maybe would’ve, if she had the strength to).  
  


Her lips lift upon hearing the sound, drifting off to sleep again, dreaming of cozy hugs and soft lullabies.

***

Joohyun wakes again a few hours later; her fever has lowered significantly, and the feeling of ice in her veins is almost bearable. The warmth she’d been drawn to is gone, except for a weight on her hand that’s akin to it.  
  


Her eyes flutter open, the room bathed in a soft glow from a lamp on the end table, making her sigh in relief at not having to experience the painful glare of fluorescent. She looks up and her eyes meet warm decadent brown. _Worried _warm decadent brown.  
  


“Unnie,” Seungwan whispers, almost afraid.  
  


“Hi,” Joohyun croaks out, yelping a little in surprise when Seungwan swoops down and hugs her gently, like she might break. Her scent envelops Joohyun, and Seungwan has never smelled so good, so _comforting_, to Joohyun, until now.  
  


_Like home._   
  


The thought scares Joohyun and she starts to cower against it, but Seungwan nuzzles her neck with a soft whine, wrapping her hands around her as best as she can, given the circumstances. Joohyun gives an answering whimper in return, scandalized at herself and incredibly embarrassed, but Seungwan seems to bask in it, pulling her in tight before giving her enough space so they're able to look at each other.  
  


“Please don’t scare me like that ever again,” Seungwan whispers, gently brushing some of Joohyun’s hair back from her face. Her eyes are bloodshot, a mixture of pain and concern and relief swirling in them.  
  


“…What happened? What did I drink…?” Pieces of the puzzle float around Joohyun’s mind, not quite in their right places to form the bigger picture.  
  


“The doctor said the blood you drank was infected with leptospirosis,” Seungwan explains. “It was an acute case, but your symptoms were getting worse so they chose to transfuse the blood out and replace it.”  
  


Usually, Joohyun would know that something’s wrong with the blood at the taste of a single drop, but her thirst must have eradicated her better senses. A fresh wave of guilt pounds into her head: for risking herself, for making Seungwan worry.  
  


“You…brought me here? …Where _is _here?”  
  


“You’re in the hospital wing of your university. I-I came in and saw you in our room like…like _that_,” Seungwan visibly shudders at the memory and Joohyun’s heart twinges, “And I didn’t know where else to go, so I brought you to your campus.”  
  


Seungwan must have carried her here, a wolf amongst a hundred vampires, lost but determined.  
  


Joohyun loves her a little harder for it.  
  


“Thank you,” Joohyun says softly.  
  


Seungwan shakes her head. “Just…please…don’t do that again. I don’t- I already-” She cuts herself off, swallowing, finding courage. “I can’t fathom you not being here. With me. I’d already pictured us, fifty, a hundred years from now. Roommates forever.” She cracks a tentative smile.  
  


Seungwan’s words bring a radiant smile to Joohyun’s face, and if she weren’t so weak, she would have tackled her into a hug. “Really?” she asks shyly.  
  


“Yeah, is that weird?” Seungwan winces, blushing.  
  


“No,” says Joohyun, quick to interfere, “it’s nice.” She smiles again, soft and hopeful. “Something to look forward to.”

***

“The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?”  
  


Huddled close to Seungwan, cheek pressed against her roommate’s warm blue sweater, Joohyun looks up at the moon, its crescent shape glowing amidst the sparse stars dotting the sky. “Yeah, it is,” she agrees. It’s not a bad sight to see for the rest of their endless nights. “But do you ever hate it? The moon?” _And what it does to you?_  
  


It takes a while for Seungwan to answer. “I’m not ashamed of what I am,” she finally says. Her voice is low, but it cuts through like steel, and Joohyun realizes she may have unintentionally hit a nerve.  
  


“I’m sorry,” she murmurs, lowering the hand she had wound around Seungwan’s arm to lock their fingers together in apology. “That’s not what I…”  
  


“I know,” Seungwan tells her, eyes softening. She bites her lip in thought and Joohyun is momentarily distracted, something stirring in her stomach at the sight. “It’s not like I was turned, you know? I have a good family and a good pack.” Seungwan opens her mouth to say something further, but thinks better of it.  
  


Joohyun nudges her, perceptive as ever, but Seungwan seems keen on changing the subject, her ears pink.  
  


“Are you okay with…what you are?” Seungwan asks instead, rubbing her thumb against the back of her hand absentmindedly.  
  


Vampires can never be born into being, unlike werewolves. They have to be turned, willingly or otherwise, and Seungwan knows Joohyun was a victim of the latter, but she’s never asked her something beyond the fact, something like this.  
  


It’s a struggle for Joohyun to find the words, but she takes strength from Seungwan’s warmth and proximity. “It was…hard at first, but I’ve accepted it. It was a long time ago, and I had several chances to take my anger out at the world, at everyone, but I never went through with it. With _any _of it.” She feels Seungwan squeeze her fingers lightly, and Joohyun closes her eyes for a moment, relishing in the comfort she’d never truly felt; not on her own, not with anyone else, not like _this_.  
  


“You’re amazing,” Seungwan murmurs against her temple, lips like molten honey as they tentatively brush against her skin.  
  


It’s a kiss of comfort, tender and fond, but it turns Joohyun’s insides into liquid fire and her hands shake to reign in her desire.  
  


“Cold?” Seungwan must have felt her shiver, lips regrettably pulling away as she turns to face her. But Joohyun can only hide so much away. Their eyes lock and Seungwan _sees_. Her pupils must be blown wide, what’s left of her irises glowing gold as her teeth ache and blood pounds in her ears. “Oh,” Seungwan breathes out, and suddenly her eyes are matching hers and she’s breathing out in puffs of steam and Joohyun doesn’t know whose hand is squeezing harder than the other’s.  
  


“Seungwan…” she says. And that’s all she can say, because Seungwan is tugging her close, and then she’s kissing her like there’s no tomorrow.  
  


The cold of Joohyun’s lips are burned away by Seungwan’s achingly soft ones, and they tug and nip and lick with so much passion in every touch, drawing a deep purr from within her throat.  
  


Seungwan chuckles at the sound, breath puffing against Joohyun’s mouth, and Joohyun retaliates by pulling her in flush against her, every part of them touching from head to toe, and now it’s Seungwan’s turn to groan, the sound ending in Joohyun’s throat as she kisses her deeply.  
  


They’re only forced to break away when a couple of (human) wolf whistles from accidental onlookers flit through their lust-filled heads, and they finally remember that they’re in a _very _public space, even though it’s the middle of the night. _Especially _because it’s the middle of the night.  
  


They make their way back to the building of their flat, pretending that their pace hasn’t doubled and ignoring how their eyes haven’t stopped glowing gold, arguing about who has wanted to kiss whom the longest the entire way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So…in the midst of writing this, things didn’t go as planned (pretends to be Shocked) and now the heat cuddling scene didn’t happen pre-relationship…lmao…so...an epilogue will really need to happen just so I can deliver what I promised and not screw you guys (and myself) over ;_;
> 
> Super credits to @seungvvannie for sharing with me some Japanese moon trivia, about how the words “I love you” can be translated to “the moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” since before, the Japanese hesitated in expressing their feelings of love directly. So yeah Seungwan was a hardcore lowkey otaku here idk lol
> 
> Thank you for reading this dumb story – I ENJOYED WRITING IT TOO IF YOU CAN’T TELL BY MY SPEEDY UPDATES (at least speedy for me) – and if you wanna see some things in the epilogue, feel free to leave a comment because I will try to insert it as long as it can work for the story. ^^


	4. epilogue: maybe the night holds a little hope for us, dear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bumped up the rating to be safe...

Living with a vampire as a roommate definitely has its quirks. Eventually though, you get used to it, to the constant supply of blood bags in your fridge next to your yogurt, to the plunging darkness of daylight due to the blackout curtains, as well as the unmistakable stench of iron that never really goes away.  
  


But living with your vampire _girlfriend_?  
  


It’s definitely quirky, a little maddening, but Seungwan’s honestly never been happier.  
  


Every day she gets to wake up and see her girlfriend (_girlfriend!!!_) sleeping on the bed next to hers, heart thudding at the small smile gracing Joohyun’s lips even in slumber – or biting back a chuckle when Joohyun’s mouth is open, drool evident on her pillow. Either way, Joohyun is cute and Seungwan is so terribly in love with her.  
  


Some nights, Joohyun would lay in bed with her, cuddling close and tangling their legs together. With the feel of Joohyun’s skin against hers, gentle breaths teasing her neck, it’s infinitely harder for Seungwan to leave her bed.  
  


She enjoys the sun while Joohyun is asleep, studying on the neatly-trimmed campus grounds or playing a myriad of sports with her friends. Against her will, her eyes gravitate towards the couples holding hands outdoors, wishing she could do the same with Joohyun. She wants to take her to picnics in the park, have dates in places that close before dark, but she can’t, and her heart stings with disappointment.  
  


She tries to come home before dusk, taking a quick shower before settling in beside a sleeping Joohyun on the bed, waiting for that telltale sign of her waking up: fluttering lashes, a full-body stretch, and a sudden tug at the edge of her shirt for her attention. Seungwan takes her eyes off her laptop or book to smile at a squinting Joohyun, leaning down to give her a soft kiss goodnight. Or more than a few, and then some.  
  


To be able to do things like these with Joohyun, with someone she utterly loves, the sun becomes a distant memory. She wouldn’t trade everything she’s able to do with Joohyun for the world, and she hopes Joohyun feels the same way about her.

***

Seungwan used to think that werewolves were the most territorial species, with their scent-marking and mate-claiming duels to the _death_, but Bae Joohyun could really give them a run for their money.  
  


“I’m gonna go play some football with Sooyoung and the others,” Seungwan informs Joohyun one evening, the latter home early studying for her exams.  
  


Joohyun stops highlighting the page of her book, furrows her brows but doesn’t say a word.  
  


“It’s a full moon tonight,” Seungwan explains, rocking back on her heels, already having difficulty with keeping still.  
  


“Do you like Sooyoung?”  
  


“…What?”  
  


“You only mentioned _her._”  
  


Seungwan blinks in confusion. “Yeah, because she’s the only one you know. You’ll meet the rest of the pack next week, remember?”  
  


“Right.”  
  


“What?”  
  


“Nothing.”  
  


“_Joohyun._”  
  


Joohyun stabs her highlighter on the book, the ink blotting. “You always smile when you mention her,” she mutters. “She makes you happy.”  
  


“Okay, that’s not-”  
  


“She can play sports with you all day and not burn to ashes.”  
  


_And there it is. _The thing that plagues them both but they somehow refuse to talk about.  
  


Seungwan stands still for a few moments, thoughts racing; she realizes she’s not the only one who wishes for some things to be different. But it _hurts_, to not be trusted. For her feelings to be thought of as something so _shallow_.  
  


She takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself. “Sure,” she begins, voice thick, “the only problem is I don’t love her. I love _you_. Even if you think so little of my feelings, they’re for you. _Only _you.”  
  


She doesn’t wait for a response, high-tailing it out of there before she does something stupid, like cry or tear a pillow to shreds.  
  


The flash of heartbreaking regret in Joohyun’s face is the last thing she sees before she leaves.

***

Hours later, Seungwan quietly unlocks the door to their apartment, careful not to wake Joohyun. She’s taking off her well-worn, muddy sneakers when a sudden voice gets a squeak of surprise out of her.  
  


“Still no selfie?”  
  


Eyes quickly adjusting to the darkness, she sees Joohyun lying on the bed and very-much awake, her thick purple blanket pulled up to her chin.  
  


“You’re awake…”  
  


“It’s too cold,” mumbles Joohyun as she sits up a little, fingers unconsciously tugging on her sheets – a sign that she’s nervous.  
  


Seungwan aches to crawl to her and hug her tight, but their argument just a few hours prior plays in her mind, rooting her to the spot.  
  


“…That was an invitation for you to warm me up, you know,” Joohyun says hesitantly, looking mildly embarrassed.  
  


It takes several seconds for Seungwan to react to that, and Joohyun’s just about to rip through the bedding, but her feet finally move, and she dips one knee on Joohyun’s bed, uncertain. She’s pulled through the rest of the way by clammy hands, and suddenly she finds herself pressed onto Joohyun’s front, the other girl releasing a shudder of relief.  
  


Seungwan closes her eyes, inhaling the scent of Joohyun’s hair, feeling her body finally relax. She turns both of them to the side, and Joohyun quickly buries her face into her neck, humming quietly.  
  


“How can vampires feel cold?” she murmurs teasingly into her hair, tightening her arms around her.  
  


She feels Joohyun shrug petulantly, coaxing a smile out of her.  
  


“You are an anomaly.” She’s barely taken another breath when fingers creep underneath her hoodie to press against her tummy in retaliation, making her yelp at the sudden touch of cold.  
  


Seungwan’s about to crack another joke when an “I’m sorry,” is mumbled against her skin, and she immediately knows it’s not an apology for the cold press of her fingers. The heavy weight of what’s been said and done returns.  
  


She freezes in Joohyun’s arms, just a bit, but it makes Joohyun pull away to look at her. Her eyes are full of remorse and doubt and sadness and it makes Seungwan’s chest ache.  
  


“I’m sorry,” Joohyun repeats, voice soft but strong.  
  


Her heart melts, appreciating the apology, but Seungwan has honestly forgiven her hours ago, from the very moment she slammed the door shut as she left their room. “It’s okay,” she replies. “Really.”  
  


“No, I shouldn’t have said what I said.” Joohyun looks down, eyes closing briefly. “It’s just…you’re so beautiful, and-”  
  


“Huh? _Me?_” Seungwan asks in disbelief.  
  


Joohyun meets her gaze, eyes flashing like a storm threatening to wreak havoc. “I hate that you’re so surprised. Yes, you are, Seungwan-ah. You’re beautiful, and funny, and smart, and incredibly caring. And you deserve the world – not just the twelve hours that I’m able to give you.”  
  


Despite the heavy weight of what Joohyun is implying, Seungwan breathes out a laugh. “Unnie, how can you not believe that you’re it for me? You like how I’m too warm, you laugh – no, _cackle_ – at all my stupid jokes, and underneath your piercing, icy vampire façade, you’re just as caring as I am, maybe more.  
  


“So what if we can’t go out in the sun together? Why fixate on the sun when I can watch a thousand other stars in the sky with you?”  
  


She lets the words hang in the air between them, hoping that Joohyun listens – _trusts _her enough to do so. But if not, then she will just have to prove it to her every day after, because twelve hours with Joohyun is better than an entire day with somebody else.  
  


A myriad of emotions flits across Joohyun’s face, but the happiness remains. It remains in her smile, the sudden rush of tears in her eyes, but Seungwan feels it all in the softness of her lips when Joohyun pulls her in for a passionate kiss, their previously-unspoken worries dissolving into something beatable, conquerable.  
  


Seungwan noses at her neck, pulling Joohyun underneath her and pressing their bodies together, earning herself a moan and a desperate scrabble of nails across her back. Joohyun tugs her up so their lips meet again, fusing ice and fire and everything in-between.  
  


Moments later, when Seungwan is trying to catch her breath and Joohyun is just about to drift off, blissfully content and _definitely _warmed up, Joohyun sleepily murmurs against her, “You’re it for me too, Seungwan – just in case you didn’t know. Just in case I’ve failed at trying to show you.”  
  


Dawn breaks over as Seungwan beams, tangling their legs together. “Of course you haven’t. That’s wonderful. Great. Awesome. I love you.”  
  


Joohyun smiles back, struggling to stay awake long enough to respond with an “I love you too.”  
  


They both doze off together, dreams filled with hope and a starry forever.

***

Joohyun meets Seungwan’s pack in one of those open-for-everyone pubs the week after, and she finds herself enjoying the rowdy company of the wolves. They love to tease Seungwan beyond reason, and Joohyun is amused by the gradual reddening of her girlfriend’s face caused by more than just the infinite flow of alcohol to their table. However, it’s quite clear where Seungwan stands in the pack – the way other people’s eyes flock to her friendly-yet-powerful aura – how she simply _allows _her friends to tease her because she loves them.  
  


One of them – Yerim, she recalls – tugs Seungwan up to play a row of darts. “Let’s see if your aim’s gotten as lucky as your heart,” she quips, winking at Joohyun.  
  


Seungwan drags her feet, whining about how she’s going to embarrass herself in front of her girlfriend, but Joohyun helps in pushing her forward, a bit curious as well. Maybe she can help her out if she’s terrible at it, and they can have a moment to themselves. Not that she’s getting tired of the company, but there’s always a yearning in Joohyun’s gut to be near Seungwan, to touch her and elicit a few compelling sounds from her, even while her friends are merely a few feet away.  
  


…Aaand maybe her blood alcohol levels have gone over the threshold.  
  


It’s no matter, if the way Seungwan’s fingers drag across her skin as she pulls her with her to the dartboard is any indication, the way her eyes linger on hers before she’s distracted by the darts Yerim thrusts at her face.  
  


Joohyun’s calculating the minimum number of minutes they can stay without being rude when Sooyoung bumps her shoulder with hers, eyes sparkling as if she knows exactly what’s occupying Joohyun’s thoughts. “Here.” Sooyoung hands her a photograph, eyes darting to Seungwan, who’s stretching and throwing practice aims like the dork she is.  
  


Although the lighting is quite dark, it’s unmistakably a picture of a huge werewolf sleeping peacefully underneath an oak tree, tail tucked near its face. “Is this…?”  
  


“Yep. Seungwan’s been grumbling about how you called her a chihuahua, so maybe this will help. I didn’t take the picture – _couldn’t_, really – but I asked Seulgi to take one. She’s a vampire, and one of my best friends. She goes with us sometimes, loves running around and all that.”  
  


Joohyun is unable to mask her surprise, staring at the picture as she tries to think of what to say.  
  


Sooyoung grins at her knowingly. “You can go with us too, you know. I think unnie would love that. We won’t hurt you and we won’t let others harm you, if that’s what you’re afraid of. We’d never hurt someone who makes Seungwannie as happy as you do.”  
  


“I… Thank you,” Joohyun says, touched. “For the picture and for…yeah. Maybe during the next?”  
  


Sooyoung nods, smiling wide. “Sure. I’ll ask Seulgi to come along so you can have company.”  
  


“Yeah, that’d be great.” Joohyun smiles. “So…you guys sleep during full moons?” Joohyun can’t stop staring at Seungwan’s wolf form; she is _definitely _not a chihuahua.  
  


“Rarely, but unnie said she crammed for an exam the day before and was exhausted.”  
  


“What’s Sooyoung telling you now?” Seungwan interrupts their conversation, walking towards them with eyes narrowed in suspicion.  
  


Joohyun quickly pockets the photo in her jeans. “She said…that I could come with you? Next month?”  
  


Seungwan blinks at them in surprise. Then she downright beams, throwing herself into Sooyoung’s arms for a hug. “Yes! Yes, of course! Thanks, Sooyoungie!” A week ago, Joohyun would absolutely _seethe_ with jealousy at the blatant display of affection, but now she just laughs, happy and excited.  
  


Sooyoung hugs her back, shaking her head in mock exasperation. “You know you could have just brought her with you anytime and we’d be fine with it, right?”  
  


“Yeah, but I wanted you to be comfortable around each other first,” Seungwan replies, a little confused, like her intentions were obvious.  
  


Sooyoung can’t help but smile at that, warmth pooling in her eyes. She tries to play it off, ruffling Seungwan’s hair before huffing a half-hearted “You’re so weird,” before leaving them (_finally, blissfully_) alone.  
  


Joohyun quickly intertwines their fingers together, a bit needy for any form of contact. “Uh, so, weren’t you supposed to play darts?”  
  


Seungwan looks at her in amusement. “I just finished. Badly. Horribly. Thank god you didn’t see, then.”  
  


“Oh.” Joohyun bites her lip, a bit embarrassed, and Seungwan’s eyes flicker down to stare unabashed, making her blood run hot. “I could…um…teach you? I’m kind of good at it.”  
  


“Maybe next time.” Seungwan’s voice has turned irresistibly husky, and she _still_ hasn’t looked up from her lips, eyes gradually turning into that molten gold Joohyun finds herself unerringly addicted to.  
  


Joohyun tugs at her hand subtly, desperately, and Seungwan clears her throat, finally snapping out of it, eyes going back to a rich dark brown. Not that Joohyun wants her to snap out of it – more like snap _into _it in so many more ways than one – but. “Home. First. _Now_.”  
  


“Right. Yes.” Seungwan quickly walks them back to their table, hand still in hers. They both say their goodbyes, doing their best to ignore the sly smirks on every wolf’s face.  
  


They both agree to use their supernatural abilities for the sake of incredible urgency, speeding through every empty street they can find. By the time they’re in front of the door to their flat, they’re both laughing breathlessly for no other reason than being ridiculously happy together, Seungwan fumbling and dropping the keys, making Joohyun laugh even harder.  
  


“Shit! Wait, sorry. Fuck!” Seungwan finally unlocks the door after a few seconds of utmost concentration, and Joohyun jumps her the moment the door swings open.  
  


“You’re so sexy when you concentrate like that.” Joohyun nips at her neck, soothing it with her tongue.  
  


“You should…see me…during exams,” Seungwan pants out, at the brink of losing her mind to Joohyun’s teasing fingers and incredibly naughty mouth.  
  


Joohyun breathes out a laugh against her lips, and Seungwan takes the chance to press her up against the wall, pinning her hips on a tortuous grind that makes Joohyun’s eyes roll back.  
  


“Bed. _Please. _I can’t…” Joohyun moans out, her legs feeling like jelly. Seungwan hums an affirmative, lifting her up in one fluid motion, making sure Joohyun’s legs have wrapped around her hips before making her way to the bed.  
  


Much, _much_ later, during round who-the-heck-knows, Seungwan is gasping out these lovely, growly sounds that only makes Joohyun press harder still, when there is a distinct sound of splintering wood, and Joohyun’s bed breaks, taking them down with it.  
  


They stare at each other in shock, before the mirth flows in and they’re chortling loud enough for their neighbor to bang angrily at their shared wall.  
  


“At least he didn’t get mad because of the sex,” Seungwan whispers, pressing her lips together to keep herself from laughing again.  
  


“I have supernatural hearing, you idiots!” their neighbor yells back. “And you should be thankful I also have earplugs!”  
  


Seungwan and Joohyun gape at the wall, stunned.  
  


“Thank you!” Seungwan shouts back, earning herself a punch in the shoulder. “Ow! I’m being sincere!” she defends, making Joohyun roll her eyes even if a smile threatens to light up her face.  
  


As if they weren’t interrupted – and the bed they’re lying on isn’t level with the floor – Joohyun teasingly presses back in, Seungwan’s breath hitching at the touch. “Do you think we should find another place?” she muses even as she drives Seungwan crazy with her fingers.  
  


“Wh-what? Um. Maybe? Oh god-”  
  


“A room with a bigger, _sturdier_ bed. And maybe just one bed?”  
  


“Right. Yeah-sure-definitel-_ohmygod_-”  
  


“Really?” Joohyun pauses, making Seungwan whine pitifully.  
  


“Unnieeee…” Seungwan looks down, and Joohyun is playfully smirking up at her, making her groan. “You’re mean.”  
  


“Am I?”  
  


Seungwan watches her with hooded eyes, sobering up. “No. I love you, but I can’t hold a serious conversation when you’re doing that. Either you resume your amazing finger exercises on me or you come up here and we can ta- _oh-_”  
  


“Never mind. We’ll talk later.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the POV switch at the end. It had to be done. Joohyun had to know Seungwannie wasn’t a chihuahua lol
> 
> Is this M? It’s so disgustingly vague that I really can’t tell. Please tell me if I should switch back the rating.
> 
> Super credits to the people who gave me their suggestions for the epilogue!
> 
> #1 @minimuminput for wanting them to have a bit of a fight (and inevitable making up) about their habits. I couldn’t really think of stupid quirks to sink the ship other than the deal-breaker sun thing. I hope it was alright…
> 
> #2 @yuiringo for wanting joohyun to see seungwan in wolf form. I had a lot of ideas for this but this won out lol
> 
> *#3 @shootroot16 - sorry I couldn’t do what you asked of me: wan in heat. For one, I am honestly inexperienced at writing about such things (even though it’s my guilty pleasure to read about them) and two, I feel like this would turn the fic into some sort of ABO verse which I don’t really want to do. So yeah, I’m sorry!!! Seungwan is an alpha!!! Top!wendy!!!
> 
>   
This was harder to write than all the three chapters combined ;_; because I had to pull some deeper shit out of my butt and not just go for the usual crack because they deserve a hopeful future together, right?? I hope I did it okay :/ Thank you for reading!


	5. epilogue 2: always and forever

Joohyun flips to the next page of her novel, fully engrossed in the characters’ game of will-they-or-won’t-they when a wet snout bumps against her elbow, making her shoulders jump in surprise. She turns to find a pair of golden-brown eyes looking at her pleadingly, a soft whine punctuating the silent request.  
  


“Love, you know I hate running,” says Joohyun, trying not to stare at her eyes too long for fear of giving in; after so many years, she’s now more than aware of her weakness for Seungwan’s puppy-dog eyes.  
  


She turns back to her book, only for her giant lump of a lover to push herself onto her lap.  
  


“Yah, you are not a lapdog!” she scolds, even as she shuts her book and tosses it aside while extending her legs, trying to make room for Seungwan despite the logistic improbability of it all.  
  


The back of Seungwan’s head thumps on the grass when she tries to make room for her butt, making Joohyun chuckle. Suddenly, the sound of Seulgi’s laughter echoes around them amidst the quiet of the forest.  
  


“Are they racing again?” Joohyun asks her, cradling Seungwan’s head to avoid any more accidents.  
  


Seungwan nods at her, huffing as if in exasperation.  
  


“Why don’t you join them? You don’t have to ask me. You know I’ll just grumble the entire time.”  
  


Seungwan sends her a pointed glance, and then it dawns on her.  
  


“Ohhh… It’s just Sooyoung and her?” Another huff. “Didn’t want to be a third wheel?” she teases, earning herself a snout-bump against her chin for her trouble. “How many more decades do you think it would take for them to finally get their shit together?” she whispers, aware of how her voice can easily carry through the trees.  
  


Seungwan snorts indelicately and lifts her two paws, extending all her digits, making Joohyun laugh.  
  


“They’re really milking this ‘eternity’ thing, aren’t they? I’m glad we had more sense,” she muses, smiling down at Seungwan.  
  


Seungwan’s eyes turn into a richer, warmer gold, a distinct indication of her happiness. She lifts her torso up so she can plop her furry butt on Joohyun’s lap, and without warning, gives her a long, slobbery lick from her neck to her chin.  
  


Groaning at the sensation, Joohyun pushes Seungwan away, albeit not hard enough to topple her off. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but…that was too much tongue.”  
  


Mirth fills both of their eyes, and they collapse onto each other in a fit of laughter – or laughter from Joohyun and what can be deemed as laughter from Seungwan: a deep sort of staccato rumbling coming from her chest.  
  


With the surprising confidence of someone who knows she can get away with it, Seungwan delivers a few more fast but thorough licks all over Joohyun’s face before quickly hopping off and dashing away, deep into the forest.  
  


Joohyun’s face twists in disgust, trying to wipe off what she can. She can hear Seungwan’s rumbling laughter a few hundred meters away, and it gets her to her feet, dashing quickly to the vague direction she heard it last. Tonight is not the quiet sort of night she had initially hoped for, but she’s not even a little bit disgruntled about it. Rarely does anything get on her nerves these days, really. Not when she’s just settled into a new house with Seungwan, has had relatively enough time spent with Seungwan every day, watching Netflix, talking, eating, sleeping, kissing, undressing, and other verbs that almost make her bump into a huge oak tree at the thought of them.  
  


Seungwan, aware of her tail on her, has taken to zigzagging all over the forest, but Joohyun is closing in, the scent of her getting sharper, the snapping of twigs and rustle of leaves growing louder.  
  


After several minutes, Joohyun finally sees a blur of brown up ahead in a small clearing, and her adrenaline spikes, allowing her to sprint until she’s only a few meters away from her target. She knows Seungwan is normally a lot faster than this, but she’s not complaining.  
  


In seconds, Joohyun reaches her, and the momentum brings both of them to the ground, laughing all the way down.  
  


Joohyun sits on Seungwan’s stomach, effectively pinning her. “I win,” she breathes out, eyes sparkling in triumph.  
  


Seungwan’s canines flash in a grin, not the least bit miffed. She attempts to brush the strands of hair covering Joohyun’s face with her paws, eyes glowing a surreal gold Joohyun’s grown very familiar with, making her chest tighten as they lock eyes for what feels like forever.  
  


“I wish you could change back for a little while. Just so I can kiss you properly,” she confesses softly.  
  


Seungwan’s pouty whine is cut off by Seulgi saying, “Ew, save it for the honeymoon, guys.” Sooyoung trots right behind her, snout twisted in what could only be disgust.  
  


_Right. She and Seungwan are getting married in a week’s time._   
  


It’s not that Joohyun’s forgotten about it – _hell, no_ – but the gravity of what it means to the both of them is _huge_. Werewolves and vampires dating? Fine. But _marriage_? Complicated is the lightest way to describe it.  
  


It took them years, but they’d sought council in both races and have finally gotten what they could call ‘approval,’ and now the wedding is in a week and it’s amazing and terrifying all at once. But not so terrifying if Seungwan keeps looking at her the way that she does, loves her the way that she does.  
  


Seungwan pulls her down against her chest, probably noticing her freezing up, and it’s insane how quickly she relaxes against her, almost purring at the incredible warmth.  
  


They both ignore Seulgi and Sooyoung’s twin groans, and they stay like that for a while, the other two having already disappeared to begrudgingly give them privacy.  
  


Finally, Joohyun breaks the comfortable silence, speaking up about her uncertainties; after decades together, it’s now a lot easier for her to open up about things like these. “We can do it, right? Marriage and…everything after?”  
  


She wishes that Seungwan can reply to her with words, soothing her with reassurances and her quiet optimism. Instead, Seungwan wraps her arms around her and pulls her closer, until Joohyun feels more than hears the thunder of her steady heartbeat, which she counts until her eyes flutter shut and it guides her to her dreams.  
  


Hours later, she wakes to find herself in the comfort of their new bed, a human Seungwan nuzzled against her neck fast asleep, breathing evenly.  
  


Her gaze sweeps across their bedroom, still adjusting to the look of it. The book she was reading in the forest is at the end table beside her, but what catches her eyes is a bright yellow post-it stuck on top of it that wasn’t there before.  
  


Without jostling Seungwan, she reaches out to take the book and bring it near her face.  
  


‘_We can do it. Of course we can._

_You’re it for me. Always and forever._

_I love you._

_xo your soon-to-be werewife’_   
  


Joohyun holds back her snort at the very last second. She puts the book back in its place and cuddles Seungwan closer to her as she drifts off to sleep again with a soft smile on her face.  
  


_I love you too, Seungwan. Always and forever._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hah. Pah. This is really it, right? Screams at self: this is not going to be like rain will make the flowers grow with four epilogues!!!
> 
> Some peepz wanted Joohyun to run with the pack / really see Seungwan in wolf form so here it is! I hope it’s fine. I just wanted to give you a bonus almost-Halloween chapter because idk I’m soft for this au ;_; but the moment I wrote the last line I really was like ‘ok welp this is really /it/.’ I also added some JoyGi because I kinda miss that ship
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this short bonus whatever and thank you for sticking with me through everything this au went through lol mwah till next time!


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